Hairpin



y 1953 V F. FUSCALDO 2,638,103

HAIRPIN Filed Jam 5, 1950 Patented May 12, 1953 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE HAIRPIN Frank Fuscaldo, Chicago, Ill.

Application January 5, 1950, Serial No. 137,013

1 Claim. 1

This invention relates to hairpins, and has for its principal object to provide a simple and effective spring clamping hairpin that can be made readily and cheaply from a single strip of sheet metal.

Generally speaking, this is accomplished with a single length of sheet metal including a spring base of general U-shape providing finger grips, opposed gripping jaws, and crossed connecting pieces between the inner ends of the gripping jaws and the outer ends of the finger grips.

In the drawings:

Fig. 1 is a perspective view of the preferred form of hairpin gripped between the thumb and forefinger;

Fig. 2 is a plan view of the hairpin;

Fig. 3 is a side elevation thereof;

Fig. 4 is a cross-section on the line 4-4 of Fig. 3:

Fig. 5 is a side elevation corresponding to Fig. 3 before the parts are brought to their final position;

Fig. 6 is a plan view of a blank of which the pin is made; and

Fig. 7 is a plan view showing an intermediate position between Fig. 5 and Fig. 3.

The hairpin includes a spring base or body I6 of general U-shape, providing finger grips or pieces I I and I2 for operating the opposed gripping jaws I3 and I4 and their crossed connecting pieces I5 and I6 between the inner ends of the jaws and the outer ends of the finger grips.

The jaw I4 is curved lengthwise on a large radius to give the hairpin a general curvature on the lower side corresponding to the curvature of the human head, as best seen in Fig. 3. The upper jaw I3 is corrugated lengthwise, as best seen in Figs. 3 and 5. Both jaws are dished or concave, as best seen in the section view (Fig. 4).

The hairpin can be readily made from a blank of sheet metal substantially as shown in Fig. 6, which may be struck or cut from a strip or sheet. It includes an intermediate portion 20 somewhat waist-shaped, and tapering end portions 2| and 22 of unequal length. At about the widest points in the blank 29 notches 23 and 24, of unequal length, are cut to provide portions 25 and 26 of reduced width, and also to provide clearance for the connecting pieces of the pin in the completed form shown in Figs. 1, 2 and 3.

By comparing Figs. 1, 3, 5 and 6 it will be apparent that after forming up the blank (Fig. 6) and giving the end portions a shape corresponding to the jaws I3 and I4, the waist-shaped portion 20 and the reduced portion 26 are bent substantially as shown in Fig. 5 to provide that intermediate form of the hairpin. Next the arms I 3 and II are spread laterally by giving the spring base a torsional twist substantially as in Fig. 7,

after which the jaws are brought to the position shown in Fig. 1, whereby the connecting piece 15 enters the notch 23, and the right portion of that notch affords clearance for the widest portion of the jaw The pin can be made of a variety of sheet materials, but it is contemplated, for example, that it will be made from steel capable of taking a suitable spring hardening-a step that will be performed on the blank after bendin it, as indicated in Fig. 5, but before putting it through the position shown in Fig. 7, to bring it into the condition shown in Fig. 1. Some will prefer to use spring bronze and such other metals, and some will wish to use one or more of the material commonly referred to as plastics.

The simplicity and fitness to the purpose will be apparent.

This preferred form is the best now known, but variations are contemplated. For instance, the body It and connecting pieces may be made more nearly symmetrical, and the jaws may be flattened.

I claim:

A hairpin constructed of a single strip of sheet metal having a central waist portion of reduced width and tapering at its ends, said strip being folded about its central reduced waist portion to form a single generally U-shaped spring base providing spaced finger grips, a pair of upper and lower opposed hair gripping jaws, and crossed connecting pieces between the inner ends of said jaws and said spring base, said connecting pieces having cut-away portions along opposite edges thereof adapted to interengage when said hairpin is in folded condition to cause said jaws to extend substantially in longitudinal alignment, each of said jaws being transversely concave to provide angular hair gripping surfaces, the said lower jaw being slightly longitudinally curved to conform to the shape of the human head and the said upper jaw being longitudinally sinuously curved to provide a plurality of hair receiving openings between said jaws.

FRANK FUSC'ALDO.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 766,870 Briney Aug. 9, 1904 1,834,153 Haims Dec. 1, 1931 2,166,460 Burns a- July 18, 1939 2,245,515 Williams June 10, 1941 2,426,258 Casazza Aug. 26, 1947 2,517,971 'Campanella Aug. 8, 1950 FOREIGN PATENTS Number Country Date 646,875 France July 23, 1928 

